What is tawhid?

Tawhid in Arabic means attributing Oneness to Allah and describing Him as being One and Unique, with no partner or peer in His Essence and Attributes.

The Arabs say wahid, ahad and wahid, all meaning one. Allah is Wahid, meaning that He has no rivals or peers in any way. So Tawhid means knowing Allah is One, with none like unto Him. Whoever does not acknowledge Allah in these terms and does not describe Him as being One with no partner or associate does not believe in Tawhid

There are three categories of Tawhid.

1- Tawheed Ar Ruboobiyyah (Oneness of Lordship)

This refers to the belief that Allah is the sole creator, sustainer ,Bringer of Death, and ruler of the universe. He alone has control; over everything, and no one shares his sovereignty.

Key Points:

• Allah is the Creator of everything, and nothing exists without His will.
• He is the Sustainer (Razaq) of all life, providing for the needs of every creature.
• Allah has complete control over the universe. No one shares this power, and no one can oppose His will.

“Say, ‘He is Allah, [who is] One, Allah—the Sustainer needed by all. He neither begets nor is born, Nor is there to Him any equivalent.’” (Surat Al-Ikhlas)

2. Tawheed al-Uloohiyyah (Oneness of Worship) This category emphasizes that Allah alone is worthy of worship, and no one else is to be worshipped. It negates all forms of polytheism (Shirk), which involve associating partners with Allah. Worship (ibadah) in Islam includes not just acts of ritual worship like prayer, but also everyday actions performed with the intention of pleasing Allah.

Key Points:

• All acts of worship, such as prayer (Salah), fasting (Sawm), charity (Zakah), and pilgrimage (Hajj), must be performed exclusively for Allah.
• No one else, whether a prophet, angel, saint, or idol, can share in the worship due to Allah.
• Even good actions like seeking knowledge, working to provide for one’s family, or helping others must be done with the intention of pleasing Allah.

For example, the Quran mentions: "And your god is one God. There is no deity worthy of worship except Him, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate."(Surah Al-Baqarah 2:163)

3. Tawheed al-Asma' wa al-Sifaat (Oneness of Names and Attributes) This category affirms that Allah’s names and attributes are unique to Him, and no one else shares in these qualities in the same way. Allah has many names and attributes that are mentioned in the Quran and Hadith, such as Ar-Rahman (The Most Merciful), Al-Kareem (The Most Generous), and Al-Qadeer (The All-Powerful).

Key Points: